Notes:There is only one more chapter after this one for the story and then on to the next episode! Yay!

Also, I'm using the idea that normal people can feel "presences" of supernatural things. You know the whole feeling like you're being watched thing. I needed some way to justify Balthazar going along with the weirdness. The explanation also made this easier for me to work with it being an "enhancement" as opposed to "magic" done by the Host as experimentation XD

Disclaimer: I say again….I own nothing =(


CHAPTER 12

The path back to the Impala is littered with bodies of guards, slashed and beaten to death at the hands of the rampaging and demented man, but Dean couldn't think of him as a man. He wasn't a victim anymore because the victim was dead and had replaced by whatever demon had taken over. Mercy? Not anymore.

"What makes you think that he would come back here?"

Dean had been leading Hendrickson and a three of his soldiers after the Commander had finally caved and let Dean take over the operation. The man was not stupid and could admit defeat, and for that Dean was forever grateful.

"It's looking for familiar ground. It's on the hunt." Dean answered absently. His mind was reeling with concern for the three members of his crew left on the Impala. It irked him that something that wicked had found its way into their home, by Dean's hand no less, and now it had not only killed innocents, but who knows what might happen if it found the Novaks.

They reach the airlock between the Garrison ship and the Impala. The door is wrenched open and a body is wedged in the doorway, half of his face missing probably from something sharp cutting back the skin. Dean swallows back rising bile and turns and mouths "Are you ready?" to Hendrickson and his men. He gets a nod as his answer, and with that, Dean returns to his ship.

Two paces in he turns back yet again. "Don't suppose you guys wanna take these cuffs off?" He whispers while ruefully smiling.

Hendrickson rolls his eyes and give Dean an unimpressed look while moving up behind Dean to undo the cuffs, only to them move in front of Dean and put them on him again, this time with Dean's hands held in front.

Dean inspects his bound hands and returns Hendrick's glare, "Well gee wiz man, thanks. Now I'll really have the advantage," he whispers harshly and jingles the cuffs in the Commanders face for emphasis.

"Just hurry this up Captain. I don't want any more men dead today."

That was enough to put Dean back on the hunt and he prowled ahead into the Impala.


Castiel had led them both back down the hallway to where they had entered the Impala, not answering any more of Balthazar's whispered inquiries. Gabriel seemed content to be led by their unstable little brother and the whole situation didn't sit well with Balthazar.

"It's Dean's turn to be seeker, so we need to hide until he comes to find us." Castiel informed them as they reached their destination and deposited his two brothers there and then promptly turned to move back towards the shuttle again, leaving them behind.

"Wait, what are you doing, Cassy? I thought you said we needed to hide."This was all too confusing for Balthazar. He felt uneasy and wasn't sure why, and now little Cassy was trying to take charge?

"Yes, but I also need to leave something out for Dean." And he started off again. Balthazar was about to stop him when Gabriel pulled him back.

"Let him go. He can handle what's out there better than any of us." He said trying to calm Balthazar. But Balthazar wasn't about to give up trying to get more information out from Gabriel.

"What are you doing, brother? There are Garrison soldiers crawling all over the place! What if he wanders right into them? He'll get sent back!" He whispered harshly at Gabriel.

"It's not the soldiers that he's worried about."

Balthazar scoffed quietly, "Yeah, he's worried about shadows. There is no one on this ship. Why are you playing along with him?"

"Because he's right. Something is on this ship…I don't know for sure what it is, but Castiel can sense it." His eyes were pleading with Balthazar to understand, but how could he understand something that he couldn't see, feel, or even imagine? How would Gabriel explain what Castiel and he were feeling?

"Are you sure that he senses something and is not just having an episode? I mean, two days ago he was convinced that the radio was possessed because static kept coming through."

Gabriel shook his head, "Because I can sense something too. Not much, but enough for me to shut up and let Castiel take lead in this." His tone had lost all of its normal joking sound and he met his brother's eyes. Eventually Balthazar had to look away. He still had doubt.

He sighed deeply, "And how am I supposed to know if I can believe the two of you? You both could be completely bonkers only you're better at hiding it then Castiel. This whole thing could be complete bullshit and I'm just as nutty as you two because I'm listening to you both. Give me one reason why I should believe you and Cassy aren't delusional." He hissed out with a lowered voice.

Gabriel smirked, "One reason? Hmm, well, I think normal humans can feel it too in a way. You just aren't as attuned to interpreting this feeling as us. It's hard to explain, but how about I ask you this; if there is no one here on this ship, then why are you still whispering?"


Castiel moved into the kitchen silently. He could feel the darkness moving closer to this room. He left his gift for Dean on the counter top and hurried back to join his brothers once more. He reached them just in time. Dean had finished counting it seemed, and was on the hunt.


"We split up…"

Dean cut Hendrickson off. "No. We stick together unless you wish to have your men picked off."

The commander considers this for a moment before nodding in reluctant agreement, finally surrendering control to the more experienced Captain.

Dean accepted graciously, "Okay, also you should have your men stand by the door unless you want that thing to get a chance to move back onto your ship." Hendrickson agreed again and nodded to his men to follow the Captain's suggestion and then gestures to Dean to continue to lead the way.

Dean leads the way through the ship.

They start by going by the infirmary, where it all began. They both note the spilled medical equipment and surgical tools as well as the blood splattered over the white room. Next they walk by the passenger quarters, seeing nothing really amiss. Following the hallways they come to one of the forks in the pathways.

Dean had been a few feet in front of Hendrickson the whole time, peering around each corner before moving forward. But upon reaching the hallway where the hatch to the outside of the Impala was, Dean peaked around the corner to see the Novaks huddled near the door. Dean immediately stopped in his tracks, stopping Hendrickson from moving any further forward.

Thinking frantically Dean knew a few things in a fraction of a second. One: The Novaks wouldn't be able to hide and they couldn't move anywhere else without having to walk within sight of Hendrickson. Two: He would have to find some excuse for turning around and leading Hendrickson away from this hallway. Three: He was at a blank for how to handle this one and there was no time to compile a plan.

But blessed Castiel, he caught Dean's eye in that fraction of a second and mouthed one word to him, "Kitchen." And Dean knew what to do.

He abruptly turns to a confused Hendrickson, game face on.

"Turn around. We're going to the kitchen."

Hendrickson looks even more confused and perhaps a little annoyed, "Why now? Don't you want to finish looking down this hall?"

"Nah, I just remembered I left the stove on." And Dean brushes past him moving towards the kitchen, hoping that Hendrickson would just follow and not inspect any further into the ship. He was rewarded with the Commander following a pace behind after a beat and Dean gave a heavy mental sigh of relief.

Dean became more and more alert the closer they got to the kitchen. Cas had told him that this was the place, but upon entering it, all he saw amiss was the silverware drawer pulled out and scattered across the floor. He moved further into the room, scanning every corner of the room.

Hendrickson had slowed his own pace considerably once they neared the kitchen. It almost seemed like he was picking up on the spooky and menacing atmosphere. Dean moved more into the room, heading over to look behind the counter when a little flash of light caught his eye. A second look revealed that it was the light reflecting off of the metal of his hunter's knife placed on the counter-top. Definitely not where he had left it.

Dean was so focused on the discovery of the knife that he didn't notice the figure sneaking out from one of the dark corners of the room.

The figure launched itself out from the corner and at Hendrickson, pulling the stunned Commander to the floor with a growl and a snarl that finally caught Dean's attention. Hendrickson fumbled with his gun before it was knocked out of his hands by the flailing arm of the creature.

The captain reacted instantly, grabbing the knife from the counter and moving to the struggling pair on the floor. Hendrickson was valiantly trying to keep the snarling creatures mouth away from his neck where it seemed to be trying rip out his jugular, but it was a losing battle and his arms were starting to tire. Suddenly the weight was taken off of him, and he could then see Dean now wrestling with the monster.

This thing seemed to have inhuman strength and Dean was having trouble subduing it. He had just finally gotten it pinned down on its back when he saw its face fully. It was shredded. Bits of its skin were in ribbons and its cheeks were sliced all the way through so that Dean even got a glimpse of teeth here and there. Pieces of metal were woven through various holes in sick imitations of the facial piercings that some teenagers seemed to favor. Blood and spit were spraying over Dean's face as it continued to let out animalistic noises.

Dean had been so surprised and entranced by the damage that he gave the demon an opening to slash at his chest with a stolen surgical tool and Dean was pushed away, falling back on the floor.

The demon took the opportunity to launch itself back at Hendrickson. As he was just about to reach out to the frozen commander, Dean popped up once again and in the blink of an eye he was pulling the knife along the monster's throat, finally ending its grotesque life.

Hendrickson could only sit there in a stunned silence, watching as Dean lowered the mutilated corpse to the ground clumsily as his hands are still bound. The captain stands straight after that and Hendrickson sees the raw strength and confidence that he had missed from before somehow. Dean may have been covered in blood and dirt, and holding an equally bloody knife in his hand, but Hendrickson could see the difference now that had eluded him before.

Dean was not a monster. He was a hero.


Gross sobbing…...And if you were amazing, you may have picked up on several occasions through this story that many of the characters "felt" something wrong. This was for the whole "sixth sense" thing I'm trying to drive home. Maybe some of you caught it =) ALSO! Tomorrow I will be posting the last chapter to this story and the first chapter to the next one Part IV: Honor Bound! Please check it out =)